Apparatus for converting continuous filaments into products containing staple fiber



Dec. 20, 1938.

S y APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING CONTINUOUS FILAMENTS INTO PRODUCTS CONTAINING STAPLE FIBER Filed July 29, i937 W-j- TAYLOR L- 3 G/BBl/VS w I. TAYLOR ET AL I 40,566

Patented Dec. 20,"

UNITED ATES f APPARATUS Fort CONVERTING CONTINU- oUs rnmnrs 'm'ro PRODUCTS coN- TAINING STAPLE FIBER William Ivan Taylor and Leslie Brisbane Gibbins, Spondon, near Derby, England, assignors to Celanese Corporation of America, a corpora-' tion of Delaware Application July 29,1931, Serial -lint-156,297 In Great Britain August 7, 1936 7 Claims.

This invention relates to-apparatus for converting continuous filaments into products containing staple fiber. U. S. Patents Nos. 2,077,078 and 2,077,079 describe the conversion of continuous filaments into products containing staple fiber by causing a bundle of continuous filaments to pass in contact with a cutting surface moving in the same general direction as the filaments but at a different speed therefrom, and

pressing the filaments substantially at a point in their length against the cutting surface. The filaments may, as isindicated in U. S. Patent No. 2,077,078, be passed more than once through the cutting device or in a single operation they may 16 be subjected to the action of two or more cuttingv devices in turn.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and convenient means of controlling the pressurerollers in apparatus in which more than one cutting device acts in turn on the bundle of continuous filaments, and in which the pressing rollers are so mounted that their own weight provides the necessary pressure on the filaments against the cutting surfaces. Accordmg to the present invention the pressing rollers are mounted in bearings on a lever or levers having pivots displaced some distance horizontally i position for engagement by rollers when the operating lever is released. Preferably the lever mounting of the rollers is so arranged that the pressing roller under which the filaments first pass is lowered into position before the second roller. The pressing roller mounting is conveniently carried one member carrying the movable roller of a pair of gripping rollers that serve to a draw the filaments through the cutting devices. The operating lever is preferably so disposed that it can be actuated by the one hand of the operaj tive used to withdraw the movable gripping roller from the other gripping roller for the insertion of the filaments between the rollers at the start of the operation.

The invention maybe used in conjunction with I apparatus according'to U. S. application 8. No. 155,200, filed July 23, 1937, corresponding to British application No. 21,96/36, filed August 7,

1936, in which the speed of one cutting surface is less than that of the filaments under treatment,

and the speed of the'other cutting surface greater than that of the filaments. The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which is shown an apparatus wherein the 5' filaments pass through two cutting devices in turn and then through a pair of gripping rollers mounted below the second cutting device.

Inthe' employment of the apparatus shown, the filaments I are drawn from a bobbin 2 carried 10 on a shelf 3, and pass over guides 4 and 5, and through a further guide 6 carried on the edge of the shelf 3. From the guide 6 the filaments proceed to a pair of rollers i, 8, constituting, the firstcutting device and from the horizontal nip 1:; of the rollers I, 8 they proceed, not now in the form of continuous filaments, since some at least of the filaments have been severed by the first cutting device, under a tension bar 9 and so to a second pair of rollers I0, ll constituting the 20 second cutting device. The lower,. or cutting, roller 1, l0 of'each cutting device is a steel roller having sharp edged helical flutes cut in its surface, which, under the pressure applied by the rollers 8, ii, serve to sever the filaments. The 25 upper or' pressing roller 8, l i on each cutting device has a surface in the form of a metal sleeve which may be mounted on a body of sponge rubber. The continuous staple fiber product issuing from the nip of the rollers [0, ll proceeds to vertically downwards through a pair of gripping rollers l2, l3 and thence to the balloon guide it of a cap spinning device l5 by means of which the staple fiber product is twisted, and wound as a yarn. The roller i2 is also fluted, the flutes in 35 this case being parallel to the axis of the roller and free from-sharp edges, while the roller l3 has a surface of rubber.

The apparatus above described constitutesone of a series of units disposed in a line, in the man- 40 ner common with spinning machinery. The three rollers 1,10 and I2 are mounted on three shafts. l6, I1, i8 extending the length of the machine and driven at the required speed by means of chains l9 from a gear box 20. The 45 gripping roller l3, engaging with the gripping roller I2, is carried in slotted bearings 2| in a pair of swinging arms 22 (one of which can be seen in the drawing); The arms 22 are suitably loaded, e. g., by means of a weight or spring, as 50 indicated at 33, so that the roller I3 is pressed against the roller l2 so as to grip the filaments firmly. One of the swinging arms 22 has fixed to it a bracket 23 to which a forked lever 24 is pivotally connected at a point 25. The forked the swinging arms 22 so that the lever 21 is moved and the roller ll carried thereby is lifted out of contact with the lower roller l 0. One arm of the fork of the lever 21 carries a nib 3| engaging beneath the forked lever 24, and when the tall 30 is pressed and the lever 21 is lifted, the nib 3| engages and lifts the lever 24 and thereby raises the roller 8 out of contact with the roller 1.

In starting up the device the filaments I are drawn from the bobbin 2 over the guides 4 and 5 and through the guide '6. The operator is then able to grip the tail 30 of the lever 21 against the swinging arm 22 whereby the rollers 8 and H are lifted from their engaging rollers 1 and I0, and at the same time the arm 22 is swung backwards slightly on its pivot 32 against the force applied at 33 so that the roller I3 is disengaged from the roller l2. ,The filaments I are now led over the roller 1, under the tension bar 9, over the roller l0 and between the rollers l2 and I3. The roller I3 is then allowed to engage with the roller l2 and to nip the bundle of filaments which are led through the guide I to the cap spinning device l5. 7 When the filaments have been threaded up in this way the tail 30'of the lever 2'! is released and the pressing rollers 8 and II are permitted to engage with the rollers I and Ill. The depths of the slotted bearings 26, 29 are such that the roller 8 comes into engagement with the roller I before the roller H comes into engagement with the roller III. In this way the cutting devices are both brought into operation, and subsequently act to sever the filaments I so as to form a staple fiber product which is drawn away from them by the rollers l2, l3 and fed to the cap spinning device l5.

Having described our. invention what we desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1'. Apparatus for the production of a continuous staple fiber product from a bundle of continuous filaments, said apparatus comprising a plurality of cutting devices each consisting of a pair of rollers pressed together upon the filaments by the weight of one of the rollers, at least one of said rollers in each pair having a cutting surface,'means for drawing a bundle of filaments through said cutting devices in turn, and means for raising together the upper rollers of the .cutting devices and for lowering said rollers successively into contact with their lower rollers in the order in which they are reached by the filaments, for the purpose of starting the operation of the apparatus. r

2. Apparatus for the production of a continuous staple fiber product from a bundle of continuous filaments, said apparatus comprising two cutting devices each consisting of a, pair of rollers pressed together upon the filaments by the weight of one of the rollers, at least one of said rollers'in each pair having a cutting surface, a pair of gripping rollers adapted to draw a bundle of filaments through said cutting devices in turn, a pair of swinging levers, bearings in said swinging levers for carrying one of said gripping rollers in gripping contact with the other, a lever having pivots in said swinging levers disposed horizontally from the upper rollers of said cutting devices, bearings in said lever for at least one of said upper rollers, and a handle on said lever adapted to be gripped against one of said swinging levers whereby the upper rollers of the cutting devices may be lifted in the same operation as that in which said swinging levers are swung back to move the gripping roller carried thereby out of contact with the other gripping roller.

3. Apparatus for the production of a continuous staple fiber product from a bundle of continuous filaments, said apparatus comprising two cutting devices each consisting of a pair of rollers pressed together upon the filaments by the weight of one of the rollers, at least one of said rollers in each pair having a cutting surface, means for drawing a bundle of filaments through said cutting devices in turn, means forvdriving a roller having a cutting surface in one of said cutting devices at a speed less than that of the filaments, means for driving a roller having a cutting surface in the other cutting device at a greater speed than that of the filaments, and means for raising together the upper rollers of the cutting devices for the purpose of starting the operation of th apparatus. 4. Apparatus for the production of a continuous staple fiber product from a bundle of continuous filaments, said apparatus comprising two cutting devices each consisting of a pair of rollers pressed together upon the filaments by the Weight of one of the rollers, at least one of said rollers in each pair having a cutting surface, a pair of gripping rollers adapted to draw a bundle of filaments through said cutting devices in turn. a pair of swinging levers, bearings in said swinging levers for carrying one of said gripping rollers in gripping contact with the other, means for driving a roller having a cutting surface in one of said cutting devices at a speed less than that of the filaments and means for driving a roller having a cutting surface in the other cutting device at a greater speed than that of the filaments, a lever having pivots in said swinging levers disposed horizontally from the upper rollers of said cutting devices, bearings in said lever for at least one of said upper rollers, and a handle on said lever adapted to be gripped against one of said swinging levers whereby the upper rollers of the cutting devices may be lifted in the same operation as that in which said swinging levers are swung back to move the gripping roller carried thereby out of contact ,with the other gripping roller.

5. Apparatus for the production of a continuous staple fiber product from a bundle of continuous filaments, said apparatus comprising two cutting devices each consisting of a pair of rollers pressed together upon the filaments by the weight of one of the rollers, at least one of said rollers in each pair having a cutting surface, means for drawing a bundle of filaments through said cutting devices in turn, a lever for the upper roller of each cutting device, said levers having bearings for said upper rollers, and having pivots horizontally removed from said rollers, and means for swinging said levers together so as to lift 'said' I gripping rcllers adapted draw a bundle of filaments through said cutting devices in turn, a pair 50f swinging levers, bearings insaid swinging levers for carrying one of said gripping rollers device at. a greater speed than that of the fila- I ments, a lever for the upper roller of each cutting ,device, said levers having pivots in said swinging levers horizontally removed from said rollers, connecting-means between said levers, and ahandle on one of said levers adapted to be gripped against one of said swinging levers whereby the upper rollers of the cutting devices ;may be lifted in the same operation asthat in which said swinging levers are swungback' to move the gripping roller carried thereby out of contact with the other gripping roller.

7.'Apparatus for the production of a continv. uous staple fiber product from a bundle of continuous filaments/ said apparatus comprising a plurality of'cutting devices each consisting of a pair of rollers pressed together upon the filaments by the weight of one of the rollers, at least one of saidrollers in each pair having a cutting surface, means for drawing a bundle of filaments through said cutting devices in turn, means'between said cutting devices for tensioning the bundle between said cutting devices, and means for raising together the upper roller of each cutting device for the purpose of starting the operation of the apparatus.

WIImM IVAN TAYLOR. LESLIE BRISBANE GIBBINS.

ofthe above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, first column, line 53, for the application number "21,96/3 6" read 21,796/36; page 2, second column, line ,71, -cleim'6, for "filament" read filaments; page 3,

second column, line 15, claim 7 strike out the words "between said cutting devices"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the sememay conform to the record of the case in the. Patent Office. I I l, v I I if Signed and sealed this llilth day :of FebI-uary, A.D.- 1939.

Henry Van Arsdale (Seal) f e Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

